wonderful artist.
When she pulled the cloth off the next one,
she gasped in shock. This was a portrait of a beautiful blond woman
with pink upturned lips and light blue eyes. She looked child-like
and yet knowing at the same time. But the shock was not her face,
but her hand. On the ring finger on her left hand was a little
silver ring with entwined hearts. Her heart started beating faster.
This woman had worn the very ring that she now wore on her finger.
This had to be the writer of the love letters. She was so
intrigued now that she felt like she had to share this with
someone. Her first thought was Patrick. Would he be as intrigued as
she was? Or would he be indifferent to the whole thing? Anyway, he
hadn’t shown up for the past two nights, so she couldn’t even count
on seeing him again. She would tell Rebecca.
She hurried up three flights of stairs to
Rebecca’s sitting room. The dogs were there lounging by the
fireplace. They looked up and wagged their tails as she came
in.
“Rebecca, you will not believe what I have
found!”
She told her everything she had seen. She was
so excited, she spoke rapidly. She was nearly out of breath by the
time she finished telling her story.
“Why in the world am I writing about dragons
and wizards?” asked Rebecca, amused. “I have a perfect mystery
right here in my house.”
“Are you making fun of me?” asked Emily with
a smile.
“No, it’s just great to see you so excited. I
do love a mystery. Tomorrow, you ought to do that research you were
going to do.”
“That’s right, I forgot about that. I need to
look and see if I can find something about the terrible thing that
the journal and letters were talking about. You know, I think I’ll
start right now.”
Emily went down to the library and starting
looking through books. She looked and read until her eyes started
burning. She didn’t find anything that she was looking for. She
felt a little let down, but maybe she would find something later.
This was proving to be an interesting mystery.
She decided that she would go back down to
the rocks. It was late, eleven o’clock, but she wanted to go where
she felt at peace. She pulled on a jacket, knowing that it would be
chilly tonight. When she got down to the shore, she sat on one of
the rocks and looked out over the ocean. There was a half moon, so
there was a little bit of light.
“It’s very dangerous for a young woman to be
out late at night,” said a voice behind her.
She let out a little yelp and jumped up from
the rock, turning toward the voice. It was Patrick!
“What are you doing out this late?” she
gasped.
“The same thing you are doing, I suppose.
Trying to find a little peace and solitude.”
“You weren’t here last night or this
evening!” she said accusingly. She cringed at how it sounded.
“Do you believe, somehow, that I have nothing
else to do but meet you here every evening? Do you think my life
revolves around seeing you here?”
Tears sprang to her eyes.
“Why are you so mean to me? Don’t you care
about my feelings at all?”
His face softened in the moonlight. “I’m
sorry. I don’t know why I feel as if I have to be cruel to you so
much of the time.”
“I don’t know why, either. One minute I think
you like me and the next minute I feel like you’re repulsed by my
presence. I don’t know what to think.”
“Emily, I do like you. You just have to
understand that it’s complicated. There are things that you don’t
know about me, and it would be wise not to get too close to me. If
I keep you at arm’s length, it’s because I don’t want you to get
hurt.”
“If you’re trying to keep me from getting too
close, then why do you do things that would make me want to be
closer to you? Why did you hold my hand while we were sitting on
the rocks for so long? And why did you touch my face and make my
legs feel like they were made of Jello? Why do these things, then
turn me away? ”
He sighed and looked away
When she pulled the cloth off the next one,
she gasped in shock. This was a portrait of a beautiful blond woman
with pink upturned lips and light blue eyes. She looked child-like
and yet knowing at the same time. But the shock was not her face,
but her hand. On the ring finger on her left hand was a little
silver ring with entwined hearts. Her heart started beating faster.
This woman had worn the very ring that she now wore on her finger.
This had to be the writer of the love letters. She was so
intrigued now that she felt like she had to share this with
someone. Her first thought was Patrick. Would he be as intrigued as
she was? Or would he be indifferent to the whole thing? Anyway, he
hadn’t shown up for the past two nights, so she couldn’t even count
on seeing him again. She would tell Rebecca.
She hurried up three flights of stairs to
Rebecca’s sitting room. The dogs were there lounging by the
fireplace. They looked up and wagged their tails as she came
in.
“Rebecca, you will not believe what I have
found!”
She told her everything she had seen. She was
so excited, she spoke rapidly. She was nearly out of breath by the
time she finished telling her story.
“Why in the world am I writing about dragons
and wizards?” asked Rebecca, amused. “I have a perfect mystery
right here in my house.”
“Are you making fun of me?” asked Emily with
a smile.
“No, it’s just great to see you so excited. I
do love a mystery. Tomorrow, you ought to do that research you were
going to do.”
“That’s right, I forgot about that. I need to
look and see if I can find something about the terrible thing that
the journal and letters were talking about. You know, I think I’ll
start right now.”
Emily went down to the library and starting
looking through books. She looked and read until her eyes started
burning. She didn’t find anything that she was looking for. She
felt a little let down, but maybe she would find something later.
This was proving to be an interesting mystery.
She decided that she would go back down to
the rocks. It was late, eleven o’clock, but she wanted to go where
she felt at peace. She pulled on a jacket, knowing that it would be
chilly tonight. When she got down to the shore, she sat on one of
the rocks and looked out over the ocean. There was a half moon, so
there was a little bit of light.
“It’s very dangerous for a young woman to be
out late at night,” said a voice behind her.
She let out a little yelp and jumped up from
the rock, turning toward the voice. It was Patrick!
“What are you doing out this late?” she
gasped.
“The same thing you are doing, I suppose.
Trying to find a little peace and solitude.”
“You weren’t here last night or this
evening!” she said accusingly. She cringed at how it sounded.
“Do you believe, somehow, that I have nothing
else to do but meet you here every evening? Do you think my life
revolves around seeing you here?”
Tears sprang to her eyes.
“Why are you so mean to me? Don’t you care
about my feelings at all?”
His face softened in the moonlight. “I’m
sorry. I don’t know why I feel as if I have to be cruel to you so
much of the time.”
“I don’t know why, either. One minute I think
you like me and the next minute I feel like you’re repulsed by my
presence. I don’t know what to think.”
“Emily, I do like you. You just have to
understand that it’s complicated. There are things that you don’t
know about me, and it would be wise not to get too close to me. If
I keep you at arm’s length, it’s because I don’t want you to get
hurt.”
“If you’re trying to keep me from getting too
close, then why do you do things that would make me want to be
closer to you? Why did you hold my hand while we were sitting on
the rocks for so long? And why did you touch my face and make my
legs feel like they were made of Jello? Why do these things, then
turn me away? ”
He sighed and looked away
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